The student body president candidates answered questions and shared their ideas at The Daily Tar Heel Forum Tuesday evening.
Rick Ingram, Brooklyn Stephens, Ian Lee and Mary Cooper addressed the audience at their fourth campaign forum.
An audience member immediately raised the question of safety, an issue that the candidates all agreed should be examined.
Ingram said that students need to know how their student safety fees are used.
“Safety is very important, and something we need to look into,” Ingram said. He said he hopes to increase Blue Lights both on and off campus if he is elected.
Cooper said that two of her four platform ideas center around safety issues.
“It sets the tone for campus,” she said.
When an audience member asked whether the candidates’ platforms are feasible, the candidates all said that they expect to fulfill their promises.
Stephens said that she could implement her promises because of her connections on campus.
“I have a collective voice,” she said. “Being involved in so many different areas on campus has given me experience.”
But candidates were less prepared to explain how they would fulfill their shared campaign promise of cutting student fees.
When asked, none of the candidates could explain the exact process for cutting a fee.
“I honestly have no idea how they do it,” said Stephens. Cooper also said she could only guess at how fees would be cut.
Candidates also described what qualities make them a good candidate after an audience member said that she wanted a “good person” to be president.
Ingram was first in line to answer the question.
“Fairness is really important,” he said as the audience laughed.
Ingram also said he thinks that it is important for the next president to communicate with the campus. “Student Government blames the student body for not caring enough,” he said.
“But Student Government is the one who is at fault for lack in communication.”
All candidates said that losing the election would not end their ideas.
“If I lost the election, I’d call the new president and set up a meeting with him,” Lee said.
“I would still advocate for my ideas.”
The DTH endorsement, based on and editorial board review of the candidates, will be released in the Wednesday paper.
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